Thread: Hotline Receives 1,200 Tips

Sherriff's Hotline Receives 1,200 Tips

August 22nd, 2007 @ 2:24pm
by KTAR Newsroom

In its first month of operation, the Maricopa County Sherriff's hotline to report suspected illegal immigrants has received approximately 1,200 tips from the public.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said many of the calls involved businesses allegedly hiring illegal help. "We're not going around going grabbing all those businesses, but we have the intelligence and we'll see in the future. Maybe when a new law takes effect in January, we may pass that on to the prosecutors who are mandated by the legislature to enforce that civil - this is civil law," said Arpaio.

Arpaio said only a handful of arrests have resulted from tips to the hotline

http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=574207

Sheriff: Illegal Immigrant Hotline Ringing Off the Hook
August 23rd, 2007 @ 11:45am
by Jim Cross & Kevin Tripp/KTAR

The Maricopa County sheriff's hotline to report ‘suspected' illegal immigrants has been ringing off the hook.

The hotline was launched about a month ago and has received about 1,200 messages, which include tips about family and friends, employers, day laborers, drop houses and crank calls.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio says there haven't been that many arrests. "And the reason is we do not go around knocking doors down."

Latino leaders and faith-based organizations want Arpaio to disconnect the hotline, saying it raises the chance of racial profiling.

"We're going out of our way not to receive any allegations since the other side have formed four hotlines to go after me."

The ACLU is critical of sheriff's hotline.

Dan Pochoda is the legal director of the Arizona ACLU. He says the sheriff's hotline in and of itself does not appear to be illegal.

"We are monitoring the situation because on it's face it would not be found to be illegal, but in practice the realities are such that is likely to be applied in a discriminatory manner," Pochoda said.

"But it does appear here that the goal here is to get the people based on their status and not because of their criminal acts. And it is clear the indecii of status is dark skin."

The ACLU is not taking any legal action right now. But Pochoda says the group is closely monitoring the hotline.

http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=574779